[grc]

Well my "rocket science" ways continue ...

It's not as bad as the time I "decided" to run TWO antivirus programs ... simultaneously, but it's a close second.

It seems, that if one spends practically an entire day, going through files, folders, programs, icons, etc, and compressing or encrypting everything, and marking practically everything ... everything ... as "Read-only", well, one gets to spend most of the next day "UN-Read-onlying"- EVERYTHING - because one cannot hardly do ANYTHING online!

Ok, I am still way-compressed (got to do it, or SOMETHING - old (6-7 years) PC w/Win2K Pro, 448MB Ram, but with only 4-gig hard drive), but what can I S-A-F-E-L-Y mark as "Read-only" (and/or "Encrypted")? I realize I cannot encrypt AND compress the same files/folders, but certain things (like my online protection suite/programs, etc.) I would very much like to protect as much as possible. Can I mark these as "Read-only" (I am scared-to-death to mark anything "Hidden") and what else might I want to mark this way - without access and download problems?

Thanks - g ...

PS - The reason I'd like to hold on to this PC is that it was built for a (very busy) attorney (commercial build), and it has some rather neat (I think) features; "fans" (are these known as "coolers"?) fore and aft (the 'intake' fan is low/bottom front - to pull in cool air, the rear fan is mounted high to 'exhaust' heat, there is also an additional vent area, potentially for another exhaust fan, lots of "space" inside for extra cooling, and a "reset" button (I guess that's what it's called?) located under the power button for quick shutdown/restart. When I FINALLY upgrade - I'd like to keep this as a "project" machine - or I may just attempt a "new" build within this gargantuan dino-tower (??).

Edited by grc, 15 May 2006 - 08:00 PM.

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Hi grc...

Have you considered adding a larger hard drive and moving your data files to a location there to create space on the current drive?

wannabe1

[wannabe1]

Hi grc...

Have you considered adding a larger hard drive and moving your data files to a location there to create space on the current drive?

wannabe1

[grc]

Hi wannabe1, yes, thanks. I have considered it, would very much like to do it (and probably will one day) but have a "$" issue (seemingly forever ongoing), and am not even sure how much (HD space/capability) would be enough or how much it might cost. I know how to remove and replace a HD, but not too sure about storing the "data files" as you suggest. But I am trying to learn.

Thx again - g ...

Edited by grc, 15 May 2006 - 09:48 PM.

[wannabe1]

Hard drives are getting less expensive all the time...I picked up a 40GB drive at a local office supply store just last week on sale for $39.95. If you watch the sales or shop on the internet, there are some pretty good deals to be had.

Moving files to the new drive is a simple matter of cut and paste. Then you can save additional files to that location by selcting the location when you "Save as" from the File menu.

Adding a hard drive would be very much preferrable to compressing files, and marking them as "Read Only" or Encrypting them is not going to gain you any space...that simply changes the way they are accessed, it doesn't necesarily change the size of the file. In some cases, encrypting will actually increase a file's size on the disk as it adds the encryption code.

[grc]

Thanks again - shouldn't one be careful buying a "used" hard drive - I'm concerned with damage, as well as exactly what might be on it (say, traces of a pedophile site or something like that) (?). Oh, and I did see that encrypting CAN sometimes INCREASE file size.

Thx again - g ... PS - does not compressing everything save considerable space - and would not encrypting (some) things like online security (protection) programs be wise?

Edited by grc, 15 May 2006 - 10:11 PM.

[wannabe1]

I would never suggest buying a used hard drive. I bought mine at Staples...new, in the box. newegg.com or TigerDirect.com usually have some pretty good deals on hardware.

If you practice good internet security and are running with a decent firewall, antivirus, and anti spyware, there is really no reason to encrypt anything. If you are sending/receiving sensitive information over unsecured internet or network connections, then yes...encrypt them. But for normal everyday computing, encryption can be more problematic than helpful.

As for compressing everything...everytime a file is compressed, you run the risk that it may be corrupted. I "Zip" some files when I store them online as a "last option backup" or to send some file types through email, but generally, I compress nothing. I've had to help people who have gone a little "Compression Happy" and accidently compressed some critical files. This scenario can be quite difficult to recover from.

As far as helping you with compressing or encrypting things on your machine...I wouldn't even attempt it without the machine right in front of me...it's just too easy to make a mistake and render a machine useless.

[grc]

Very good! Thanks for all the help!!

g ... oh, lastly, if I've already got all this compression, would you recommend going back and UN-compressing (and unencrypting) everything other than what scan-disk does?

Edited by grc, 15 May 2006 - 10:52 PM.

[wannabe1]

My pleasure!